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Hot Mommas: Squirrels Use Heat to Scare off Snakes

Rattlers steer clear of hot pieces of tail

By Heather McPherson,  Newser User

Posted Aug 14, 2007 4:07 PM CDT

(Newser) – Squirrels aren't squirreling out of their ongoing battle with snakes, but they may be turning tail. California ground squirrels are able to intimidate rattlesnakes, researchers have found, by heating their tails 3 degrees; the rattlers perceive infrared waves, and back off. Even more surprising, the...   Read full story »

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The research was published in PNAS
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

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heat snake robots infrared squirrel rattlesnake tail


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